The U.S. Army is currently developing technologies and weapon systems for the Future Force. A key component of the future force is the deployment of precision guided weapon systems to replace unguided area weapons to provide one shot kills and to reduce collateral damage. The development of new weapon systems is very expensive and time consuming. The Army development community has been very successful in designing guidance packages that can be retrofitted to existing unguided rockets which results in a cost effective precision weapon in a much shorter time frame than the development of a totally new weapon system.
The power source, typically a thermal battery, is a key component of all missile systems. The battery must be activated in a very active manner under a wide range of environmental conditions. Also, the battery is normally a limiting factor in the shelf life of missile systems. Thus, a need has been recognized for a self-generating power system contained within a missile that is not subject to the uncertainties of waning battery life.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,714, which issued to Smith et al. on Jun. 25, 2005 and which is hereby incorporated by reference, a guided projectile is provided with air inlets used to direct an air stream to drive a turbine that in turn drives an electrical generator for powering the projectile's guidance system.
In certain classes of missiles, a motor section of the missile spins during flight for purposes of stabilization. The present invention proposes to utilize the kinetic energy created by the rotation of such missiles' motor sections for conversion into electrical power generation. Further, the teachings of the present invention can be utilized to retrofit previously existing missiles without need of manufacturing an entire new missile design.